


Contractually Binding

by QuillMage



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: Gen, Loopholes, Magic-Induced Slavery, Magical Contracts, canon-verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-02
Updated: 2013-03-02
Packaged: 2017-12-04 02:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/705612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuillMage/pseuds/QuillMage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even bound by the rules of a Contract, Zelos still retains his freewill.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Contractually Binding

**Author's Note:**

> As always with the Kratos Path, Zelos isn’t at his best and brightest mentally and emotionally wise.  
> As I’ve mentioned in previous stories, a ‘brofriend’ is a bro and a bud. In normal context, it’s usually means two guys who are really close and are so secure in their sexuality that they can act gay with each other in jest and not be in the least bit uncomfortable with it. Like the male equivalent of a ‘galfriend’…kinda. Don’t blame me; my sister was the one who made up the word.

Lloyd grunted as he was thrown back and slid across the ground to come to rest on his back at the center of the impromptu arena. His companions were also on the ground, though near the edge or against the pillars, all managing to miraculously avoid the long fall off the battleground down the countless stories that made up the Tower of Salvation. Most of them were either unconscious or too injured or fatigued to move. Raine shook with the effort to sit up and Sheena struggled to her feet using a pillar as support only to collapse once more.

However, Lloyd was unaware of any of this as it was going on behind him and he was too focused on his opponent anyway. Unlike his friends, he hadn’t been hit as hard for some reason—thus the difference in distance he was thrown—and sat up to begin to standing.

“Take this! Shining Bind!”

Lloyd was jerked back down and was once more splayed out across the ground, bound by invisible chains that, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t break free from and the struggle he put up was short-lived upon this realization, having enough sense to conserve his energy.

His opponent strolled up to him, “Sorry, bud, looks like you lost this one.”

Zelos stood above him, golden wings sparkling and one foot on either side of Lloyd’s chest, holding the handle of his shortsword, tip pointed downwards. Lloyd realized he’d seen the grip before, Zelos held his blade above Lloyd in the manner of the Colosseum gladiators about to strike the final blow against a downed opponent after the victor of the match was more than apparent. None of those gladiators were nice people.

Suddenly, instead of impaling him, Zelos crouched down over him, removing one hand from the handle, though he didn’t move his shortsword from its position over Lloyd. Oddly, Zelos began to rummage through Lloyd’s pockets, completely disregarding the awkwardness and how out of the ordinary it was given the circumstances.

He withdrew his hand and Lloyd saw that Zelos was now holding his last couple of pineapple gels. Zelos smirked as he took a pointed bite out of one of them.

“You know, bud, when I heard your name at Meltokio, I couldn’t believe it.” He took another bite, “In the beginning I wasn’t completely sure until I got a good look atcha.” Zelos popped the rest into his mouth, “That’s ‘cause when I very first met you, he called you Lloyden. I know it’s merely an angelicalized version of your name but I wouldn’t put it past the old man to go through with giving you an actual angelic name.”

Lloyd stared at him in shock as Zelos bit into the other pineapple gel, “You’re saying you met me before I went to Meltokio?”

“You betcha, bud.” Zelos confirmed, taking another bite, “You probably don’t remember but when I was eight I met with your old man. While he was on the run, that’s also when I found out how much of an over-protective father he was, _at the time_.” Zelos emphasized this with a hint of disgust in his voice and took a bite of the gel a little more sharply than necessary, “I had jokingly asked if you wanted to be kidnapped by me, not that you knew what that meant, but your old man didn’t appreciate my humor.”

Zelos polished off the pineapple gel and returned his hand to grasping his shortsword above Lloyd.

“So when I saw you years later—when I’d become old enough and fast enough to get away with making snide comments—I intended to befriend you to get on the old man’s nerves; in its own way, it _was_ kidnapping.”

Zelos stood and Lloyd’s attention was drawn back to Zelos’s blade that he couldn’t quite tell where it was pointed, somewhere between his throat and his chest.

“You know about the binding contracts, right bud?”

— — — Past — — —

There was a small, though, upon closer look, one-sided altercation just outside the Sybak Research Facility.

One of the senior researchers holding a rolled-up piece of paper was following, no, _herding_ a stiffly walking red-haired young man who looked to be no more than eighteen out of the building while a blond boy of about sixteen was attempting in vain to stop the senior researcher, though not for a lack of trying.

As Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos approached surreptitiously to rubberneck, the others following exasperatedly in their wake, words became clear.

“Stop it! He didn’t do anything! I was the one who-”

“Silence, do not try to take the blame upon yourself. Why you befriended such a creature is beyond me, but that ends today.” The elder researcher turned to the young man, “As a half-elf caught committing a crime, you are sentenced to death.”

“Listen to me! I’m the one at fault!”

“Draw your blade and-”

Lloyd had not realized Sheena had gone off after the guy until the others were running to catch up.

Sheena had grabbed the older man’s arm and twisted it behind his back, prying the paper from the pain-loosened grasp.

“You,” she addressed the half-elf, not releasing her captive, “first of all, put away your sword.” She commanded and he slid it smoothly back into the sheath. She then asked, “Is what your friend said true?”

He was silent for a moment, considering whether or not to admit to his lie, before deciding it in his best interest to come clean.

“…Yes.” He said with surprising composure considering the situation, as Lloyd would later find out.

“Someone hold this for me.” She said not offering the paper when the Lloyd stepped forward but rather the restraining hold on the researcher. She then turned to the half-elf. “Do you wish for your freedom?”

“If that is what you desire, your ladyship.” He replied in complete deadpan.

Zelos smothered a laugh and Sheena gave them both a look that told them the jab was not appreciated, “You know, some people may take that as a ‘no’. It’s just a formality; don’t make me punch you two over it. Anyway,” she tossed the paper to him, “I grant thee mastery over thine own fate.”

However, before the paper could make it over to him, the researcher broke free of Lloyd, who had unknowingly relaxed his grip, and made a grab at it only for it to be snatched from the air by the blond boy who spoke quickly before the senior researcher could try to take it back, “I, Aster Estel, hereby as Master of the Contract release the Bonded, Richter Abend, from his servitude.”

The paper dissolved into dust in his hands.

“Ha!” Aster proclaimed triumphantly at the senior researcher.

The group proceeded to slip away to avoid the oncoming storm that was inevitable.

Lloyd had been given a rough outline of what exactly that rolled-up piece of paper was, most notably the fact that anyone under a contract had to follow the owner of the paper’s every command and only the so-called Master of the Contract could do any harm to it.

— — — Present — — —

“Well, I had one too, custom for use on the newborn Chosen of the flourishing world apparently.” Zelos continued, “It was kinda funny watching the Pope search for it—not that anyone without a Cruxis Crystal could use mine anyway—not knowing the Angel of Death himself carried it on his person. It was only as a demonstration, but your old man gave me the only standing order he’d ever give me that day when you sat only a few feet away building a tower out of pebbles.”

Zelos’s grip tightened.

“Do you know what he did? There’s a reason I’ve only hit you with magic. He’d indicated you and said to me ‘if you ever attack and seriously injury him with your sword,’”

Zelos thrust his blade down into Lloyd’s shoulder,

“‘you are to turn the blade upon yourself.’” He finished before he ripped his sword out and quickly casted Healing Stream on Lloyd and his party, right arm shaking from the effort of keeping it still long enough to cast another Healing Stream.

Zelos smiled down at his brofriend and held his shortsword with both hands, its tip pointed at his chest.

Zelos stopped resisting the contract’s magic.

— — — Past — — —

“An order, however, is much different-” Kratos was interrupted by a very small child tugging on his pant leg.

“Daddy, Mommy says that Uncle Yuan coming and that if you don’t want to be mocked that it’s your turn for now.”

“Very well.” Kratos looked back to Zelos who didn’t like where this was going, “Wilder, find entertainment for Lloyden, perhaps some small stones.” He suggested with the implication that they better be smooth or else, “Afterwards, return to this location.”

Zelos had expected to either feel a strong compulsion or have his limbs clumsy and jerkily move outside of his control. Instead his movements and grace were just like if he had chosen to do it on his own.

Except he hadn’t.

While intense, active resisting it did seem to make the motions less smooth, it still shook Zelos that he could be made to do things against his will and it look completely natural.

Zelos picked up a few choice stones from the less-heavily wooded area around them then set them on the ground a small playing distance from where Kratos stood.

“Thank you!” Lloyden said brightly before Zelos was returned to his starting point.

Kratos’s gaze lingered for the slightest moment on his son, wondering why he always had to instruct Lloyd on proper manners in Yuan’s presence yet Lloyd displayed them like they were perfectly natural when interacting with Wilder.

Though who the addressee was may have something to do with it.

“Anything else, pops?”

Kratos gave a disapproving look at his attitude, “Yes, standing orders or ones that will not apply until later are effective as well. For example, my son,” Zelos glanced over to where the kid was now making a little rock stack, building it as high as he could before it collapsed, causing Lloyden to then giggle rather endearingly, “if you ever attack and seriously injury him with your sword, you are to turn the blade upon yourself.”

Zelos raised an eyebrow, “Harsh.” He commented in an effort—which was unsuccessful given Kratos’s expression—to ignore the odd and ominous tingling sensation caused by the words, as if the order itself was sinking into his skin and welding itself onto his bones.

Kratos crossed his arms, “Just to remind you who you are dealing with.”

“An over-protective Seraphim.” Zelos said with a smirk and his eyes pointedly did _not_ stray to where the man’s sword was sheathed, “I might have to steal him away one of these days to see what happens.” Zelos grinned over towards Lloyden, “Hey, Lloy-Lloy, you want me to kidnap you sometime?”

Lloyden tilted his head questioningly, “What’s ‘kidnap’ mean?”

“Oh it’s real fu-”

Lloyden’s rock tower fell, drawing the kid’s attention away once more, something Kratos took advantage of, “Wilder,” he began softly in a deadly whisper, “unsheathe my blade then look me in the eye and place its tip against the hollow of your throat.” Kratos had to establish who was held the authority early on and that such jests would not be tolerated by him.

Zelos paled and his right hand reached out to wrap his fingers around the handle of the sword that hung at Kratos’s side. Despite his eight year old hand being far too small to properly grasp it, the sword slid out easily enough.

Kratos followed his actions with his eyes as his arms remained crossed in front of his chest. Zelos tilted his head up to meet Kratos’s piercing gaze as he grasped the handle with both hands and let the tip of the blade to lightly touch his neck before moving it so it would just barely not touch his skin. Technically, he did as he was told.

However, he underestimated his opponent, “Perhaps I should have been more specific.” Kratos extended a hand, “place its tip against the hollow of your throat and _keep_ it there.” He finished, lightly pressing down on the flame-colored blade so it touched Zelos’s skin once more.

Afterwards Zelos would think what kind of sick bastard did this where his three year old son could see; but right now, all that was going through Zelos’s head was that Kratos was the very same Angel of Death Seraphim who descends to smite the unfaithful and disobedient that is depicted on the churches’ walls.

— — — Present — — —

Lloyd managed to knock the blade away with his left sword at the last moment, causing Zelos’s blade to only shallowly cut the left side of his own chest.

The hold over Zelos faded—apparently the contract had been sated.

Zelos stumbled back in shock and Lloyd jumped to his feet.

Lloyd tightened his grip on his swords, ready to use them to keep Zelos from using his own blade against himself.

Zelos sunk to his knees, golden wings sparkling out of existence, too overwhelmed to be able to stand.

“She’s in the Hall of the Great Seed.”

“Zelos…”

“Don’t worry; I don’t have the balls to off myself without some sort of overriding force to keep me from chickening out at the last second.”

Zelos laughed at Lloyd’s still concerned expression.

“You know, bud, I never lied to you. And I’m not planning to anytime soon. I’ll be fine; go on, you gotta go save Colette.”

Lloyd nodded reluctantly and left.

A short while later, a set of unhurried footsteps was heard moving across the ground to stop in front of Zelos.

Footsteps belonging to white shoes.

“Stand up.”

And against his will, Zelos stood.

He could just scream, he didn’t need this right now; there was nothing wrong with his physical state, but mentally and emotionally he was just too fatigued to deal with this.

“Why you of all people have my contract?”

“Would you rather I have not stolen it?”

Zelos glared, “You did for yourself, you knew what would happen if he kept it.”

— — — Past — — —

Zelos didn’t know if the tightly rolled-up piece of paper Yggdrasill was slowly spinning between his fingers with a just noticeable increase in his normal level of intense disconcerting aura was the actual contract or a potential fake, but when Yggdrasill acted a little less formally, such as with the casual turning of the paper about his fingers, it was never a good sign.

Especially if Yggdrasill figured out it was him who had drugged the food the previous night at Altessa’s house.

Zelos had always suspected that either Yuan or the old man—probably the old man—had that contract because Zelos never actually believed that Kratos had destroyed it. Either way, Yggdrasill had it now.

Zelos straightened from his bow, “What is it that you require of me, my lord?”

Yggdrasill paused in his spinning then curled his fingers around the paper before standing and gliding over to stand in front of Zelos.

“Before I broach the main subject of my summoning you, I’d like to find out something. First of all, do you know what this is?” No further elaboration was needed.

Zelos swallowed but his silence served as an adequate response.

“Good; now, I’ve always wondered something and this goes right along with what I have to tell you. You bow upon entering but it has no doubt become a practiced motion considering your lifestyle. Until you are dismissed or the order is otherwise lifted as per my deeming,” so pretty boy knew the rules of the game, “show me the full extent of the respect and fear you feel towards me.”

Zelos stiffly bent deeply at the waist to the point he was practically perpendicular to the ground, having to shift his footing slightly to retain his center of balance, shoulders relaxing once to job had been accomplished.

“You’re resisting.” Yggdrasill commented.

Zelos’s back stiffened once more and Yggdrasill noticed the very shallow ripple of an almost-fully suppressed shiver. “Whatever do you mean, my lord?”

“Do not take me for a fool.” Yggdrasill said sharply and he carefully rolled out the sheet of paper over Zelos’s back like a table, “It says right here the movements should be smooth excepted when resisted.”

“That was never my intention, Lord Yggdrasill.”

“You know, Kratos had a contract too,” Yggdrasill began as he rolled the paper back up—there had been truly no need to lay out the paper except to humiliate Zelos, “however, he was smart enough to destroy it before leaving me instead of leaving it in the hands of the enemy.”

Yggdrasill used the rolled-up paper to tilt Zelos’s face up, “This brings me to the reason you are here. I wish for your advice on what we should do with a new prisoner of ours who needs to be thoroughly shown and beaten into his place. The Desians reported an hour or so ago that they have taken custody of Lloyd Irving.”

Zelos’s legs gave out from under him and he fell to his knees with his head bowed with the speed and force of a sudden enormous weight materializing onto his back.

Yggdrasill observed the perfect replication of Kratos’s genuflection, “That’s what I thought.”

He walked back to sit down, now holding the contract delicately in the fingers of both hands, “Look at me,”

Zelos lifted his head but kept his eyes averted due to the contract’s effects.

“In the eye.” Yggdrasill amended, “And stay like that.”

Zelos’s gaze snapped to his against Zelos’s will.

Yggdrasill continued, “Now, normally I would just kill you. However, you are a special case; and while we do not have Kratos’s son, we have something a bit more useful and a great deal less troublesome to make you do as I wish.”

Then he smiled that smile-smirk that sent ice-cold terror running through Zelos’s veins, “It’s obvious your loyalties waver, however, it is almost factually certain that _he_ doesn’t have any idea of your ‘motivations’ but unlike him I know the true power he possesses, the hold he has over you, over Kratos, over Genis, and even over Yuan. I also have the capability to make you slay _Lloyden_ against your will, splatter the twisted remains of your so-called ‘brofriend’ about, making it impossible to distinguish where his ridiculous clothing ends and his body begins, as you helplessly watch your own hands become coated in his lifeblood-”

“Please, stop, I beg you!” Zelos burst out practically on instinct.

Yggdrasill smiled, Zelos was shaking in pure horror.

That should make the Chosen toe the line more devotedly for now on.

Love that pulled his more important angels away from him had the fortunate ability to just as easily bring them closer than before.

“You are dismissed,” There was the slightest pause, “Zelos.”

Zelos visibly shivered at the address before leaving as quickly as he could.

— — — Present — — —

“I do not deny acting out of my own reasons.” Kratos paused, “You knew I had it though.”

“No; but I had hoped, otherwise I don’t know if it would have worked. I guess I’ll have to thank you for that; and for back then, I wouldn’t have been able to even have that plan without your little hissy fit over me callin’ you ‘pops’.”

“You remember it that clearly?”

“Traumatic experiences tend to do that.” Zelos answered dryly.

“So if you planned to enact the order I gave you, why fight from the beginning?”

“And risk your son getting hurt in the process?” Zelos said, voicing Kratos’s unspoken amendment, “To tell the truth, it was a last resort, old man. But I’ve seen what having to kill someone you care about does to a person, I wasn’t about to do that to my bud. Besides, why do you think I tried to get them to kill me in combat? I’m too much of a coward to do it on my own. They didn’t put their all into the fight, they didn’t want to kill me; left with no other choice I had to use the secret weapon you oh so kindly granted me.”

“Ah yes, I free you from that order.”

Zelos’s smirk morphed into an angry snarl as he shot forward to grab the contract, but was unable to pull from Kratos’s grasp as Kratos wrapped his free hand around Zelos’s wrist.

“You bastard,” Zelos growled, “How did you know?”

Kratos tightened his grip on Zelos’s wrist, causing Zelos to wince by not release his hold, “Let go and move to stand next to the warp location.”

Zelos glared hatefully but had no other choice.

Kratos held the contract out in front of him, “I, Kratos Aurion, one of the Four Seraphim of Cruxis, hereby as Master of the Contract release the Bonded, Zelos Wilder, Chosen of Tethe’alla, from his servitude.”

The paper crumpled into dust that disappeared before ever hitting the ground.

Zelos stared, momentarily stunned by shock; that had been the last thing he had expected Kratos to do; never in any amount of years would he have believed the old man would give up that kind of leverage so easily.

Kratos gave him a piercing look and stated flatly, “You can kill yourself on your own time, by your own will, right now Lloyd and his companions are in need of assistance.”


End file.
